Drawn from a Hat Challenge
by RubberDuckyPinwheels
Summary: Eight one-shots, each at least 1,000 words. Pairings include Zack x Vincent, Denzel x Cloud, Sephiroth x Angeal, and others!
1. Zack x Vincent

His steps were ginger, his breath was careful as he continued on his way through the secret passageway of the Shinra mansion. The mansion was that fearful looking figure basking in the gentle pastures of Nibelheim. None of the villagers seemed to dare come near it, they all kept their distance and minded their business, not prying into what happened beyond those large walls of smoke and mirrors. The villagers didn't realize how much trouble, pain, and confusion they were saving themselves from. They were very wise in their decision to stay at bay when it came to the mansion.

Zack knew far too much now, he was far too informed and he was envious of the villagers, for they didn't know what kind of horrible things happened beneath the ground that they lived on.

He'd found the secret door on accident as he was wandering through one of the rooms. The young man had been observing a bookshelf, trying to stay professional in this matter, however, he soon grew tired. "Why in Shiva's name did Angeal have to tell Lazard to give me this missi - yaah…!" His complaining was cut short when he flumped back against the wall. Suddenly, the wall gave out and flung from beneath him, as though it were on a set of hinges – he realized later that it was.

Panic struck him and his breathing went stiff as he landed on the boards that were used as stairs, the large winding staircase that creaked and shifted beneath him. His eyes widened and he clasped onto the greasy bricks behind him, leather covered fingers biting into the rock. "H-holy…" he stared in shock under himself, staring downward in amazement. After catching his breath, he slowly began his descent, letting one hand slid along the slime and mold covered wall, "…What's all this?" he asked himself, "Only one way to find out," He reminded himself, "Ugh…I talk too much," He shook his head and pressed a palm above him eyes as he made his way to the end of the stares.

He gawked at the large tunnel that lay out before him; the air was cool and the darkness made it difficult to see, however, he soon found his way along the path. "Who would make something like this?" he marveled at it silently as he continued on his way, with his hands pressed to the wall so he could have some bearings in the darkness, something to help him navigate.

Before he knew it, his finger bumped into something. It felt like wood, he slid his hand along it until his palm bumped into a door knob. Grasping it with his fingers, he jiggled the handle.

Locked.

He tried harder; maybe the tumblers were brittle by now.

No good.

"Hmm," He stepped back before lifting his leg and kicking at it once.

The door creaked.

Another kick.

A crack.

One more kick and the door shattered open with Zack loosing his balance somewhat. He stumbled forward and managed to trip on the hard stone beneath him. Landing with his hands out in front of him, he took a breath as he lifted his head. "Coffins?" He stared, eyes wide. "What are these doing here?" He pondered, "Please say there's nothing dead inside," He cringed as he pushed himself up and dusted off the front of his Shinra issued navy blue pants. He took several steps forward. There were several coffins, all wide enough and tall enough for people. These weren't just for decoration. Zack's stomach flipped, and then he saw the open coffin.

It wasn't all the way open though. It seemed that the lid hadn't been slid on the correct way. He could see delicately weaved spider-webs lacing the gap that lead to the inside hollow of the large coffin. He came closer, brushing his fingertips over the surface and gathering dust off of it. The cover of the coffin was more intricate than he could believe, large detailed carvings were embedded deep into the surface. Someone had spent a lot of time crafting these. However, he was still curious.

"Can't believe I'm doing this," He shook his head and pushed himself up from his knee, "Never imagined I'd be a grave-raider," He forced a thin laugh from his mouth as he grabbed onto the cover and pulled it forcefully up from it's resting place. The wood was heavier than he thought it would be. When he opened it all the way and glanced inside, it dropped suddenly to the floor, issuing a large crack as it smacked the stone.

"Sweet…Shiva…"

Eyes. There were eyes staring back at him, dark crimson and burning with disinterest and boredom. There was a person.

A…a person?

A person who was clearly breathing.

Zack stumbled backward when those pale lips moved. "What are you doing here?" The face in the coffin asked him.

This time, he fell, clattering loudly to the ground, "Wh…what's going on?" He stared wide-eyed and in disbelief, "How long have you been down here?" He shot back to the figure who was now sitting up in his cozy coffin.

"How long?" The equally dark-haired figure looked away and shrugged his shoulders, "I've lost track of time, several years at least," He answered.

"Years?!" Zack gawked, "You're serious?" He stared at the other in a dumbfounded manner.

"Now…if you'd leave me alone," The longer-haired man said before laying back down.

Zack scrambled to his feet, "H-hey! Wait a second, You're just gonna stay down here?" He stared at him from the side of the coffin, "You can't be serious!" He tilted his head in curiosity. Ah, ever the puppy, indeed.

"I'm quite serious," The other insisted.

"What? No way! C'mon, let me at least take you to the inn so you can sleep in a real bed," Zack insisted back just as stubbornly.

"I'd rather not," It was a curt reply.

"Why not?" Zack was persistent.

"This is my punishment, it isn't supposed to be enjoyable,"

"Wh…what? Punishment for what?" Zack waved a hand carelessly, "Whatever, I'm not leaving you down here…at least, not without knowing your name," A grin came over his face, stealing his features handsomely.

The red-eyed figure rolled those entrancing crimson eyes of his up to the youth's face, "Vincent…Valentine," He replied indifferenty.

"Vincent," Zack tried out the name, "Well Vincent…let's get going," He smirked, "Your face is defnintely one that the world needs to see,"

Vincent rose a dark brow, "The world has seen it enough times before,"

"No way, man, Come on, it's not even comfortable in there!"

"Comfortable enough," He argued back.

Zack grabbed him by the hand and tried to pull him up, however, Vincent struggled obviously not wanting to go. Before either of them took take another breath or give a blink, Zack stumbled and feel forward. A thud was the sign that both of them had fallen back inside the red satin-lined coffin. Zack stared down and smirked happily, perhaps he'd planned that – or at least this was what went through Vincent's mind in that instant.

The SOLDIER's eyelids dropped halfway, his voice falling into a light teasing whisper, "Maybe you're right…this is more comfortable than a bed,"


	2. Denzel x Cloud

"Hey…Cloud?"

Things had settled down easily after Sephiroth, Kadaj, and the other two had been taken care of. The rest of the gang went to their own business and went on their way, doing whatever it was that made them happy. Things had finally gone back to normal, at least as normal as they ever got around Seventh Heaven.

"Can I...ask you something?"

The peace was the perfect time for relaxing and taking a well deserved rest, it also opened up for the perfect opportunities for some questions that Denzel thought needed some answering.

"…Is Tifa your girlfriend?

The blond gawked at the boy from his spot beside Fenrir as he cleaned his precious motorcycle with a ratted wet rag, kneeling beside the outside wall of Seventh Heaven. Needless to say, the rag dropped to the floor and he just shook his head.

"What? Where did you get that idea, Denzel?" He picked the rag back up and went to his work again, flinging off the dirt with a flick of his wrist.

"Well…you're always around each other…" Denzel responded timidly, turning on his heels and swinging his arms as he paced by the side of the bike, "…And she always looks at you funny, she talks about you a lot too," He added on.

Cloud sighed, "We're not together, we're just friends, we have been for a long time," Cloud cleared the subject up, at least, he hoped that he did.

"Why aren't you guys together then? If you're such good friends? Isn't that what friend do when they get really close?"

The blond cocked a brow, "Not always Denzel. I don't feel that way about Tifa, there's no way to change that and I'm just happy with things the way they are," Why was Denzel so persistent about this? Oh well, the boy didn't have parents anymore, so maybe Denzel thought of him as a fatherly figure. In that case, the least that he could do would be to answer the boy's questions when he had them. It was a lot better than Denzel going to Tifa with these kind of questions. Only trouble could come from that.

"Why don't you like Tifa like that? You don't think she's pretty?" Denzel persisted, needing more answers.

"She is pretty but…" Cloud shook his head, "I like a…different kind of pretty," The blond mumbled only that much, not willing to tell Denzel that he actually didn't like girls all that much. It was something that Cloud liked to keep to himself. No else had the right to know, so there was no point in telling them. Only one person knew, that had been Zack. Zack was special though, because Zack was the one who made him realize where his real interests lay.

"A different kind? What do you mean?"

"Denzel…just stop for a second," Cloud lifted his head, "What brought up all these questions?" Finally Cloud was able to get a question of his own in.

"I, Uhm…I just wanted to know," Denzel resembled a boy with his hand stuck in the cookie jaw, "That's all?"

"Good…" Cloud turned his head away.

Denzel soon appeared again, glancing at him from the other side of the tire, "So what kind of girls do you like?"

Cloud stared, "I don't like gir…" He paused, "You should go help Tifa in the kitchen," Oh dear Shiva, what had he just said?! What was he thinking!?

"You don't like…?" Denzel stared in shock and partial amazement, "You don't like girls, Cloud?!?"

Cloud was in terror and reached a hand forward, covering Dezel's mouth, "Denzel, quiet…Don't say that," Cloud chided, "That's not what I meant," He hissed out, trying to remain calm.

"Then, what did you mean?" Denzel said when Cloud took his leather-clad hand away, looking just as innocent as ever.

Cloud shook his head quickly, wanting to dismiss the subject entirely, "Never mind what I meant, just go help Tifa out, okay?" Now he was getting slightly desperate, and poor Fenrir was still coated in a thick sleeve of dust and mud.

"But, Cloud…" Denzel objected, obviously unhappy about being told to go away, "I wanna know…" He complained further, very very persistent. Oh great, now the boy was starting to remind him of Zack. Well, he was a little like Zack; very genuine, very energetic, and loyal, and a little rash, and far too excitable. Yea, Denzel was getting more like Zack everyday. However, Denzel probably couldn't pull off Zack's hairstyle. Cloud could feel his cheeks getting hot and he shook his head quickly.

"Hey Cloud, Why's your face all red?" Denzel gave a feline smirk, "Are you thinking about a boy, Cloud?" The boy pried into Cloud's business more and more as he rested his young hands against the crest of the tire.

Cloud's eyes widened, "What?!" He hissed, "I am not…" He ground his teeth down slightly, "Listen Denzel, just stop it, alright?"

"But…I'm not making fun of you," Denzel said quietly, "I think it's cool that you like other boys," He said innocently.

Cloud let out a hard huff, "I don't like boys," He tried to object.

"Then why are you getting so frustrated?" He piped up, tilting his head.

Cloud was lost for word, "I'm not getting frustrated,"

"So…why don't you like boys then?"

More questions, ugh.

"Denzel, listen…just drop it, okay? You don't need to know any of that,"

"So you DO like boys?"

Did Denzel just think this was some kind of game? Probably.

"Okay, fine, what can I get you to stop and go back into the kitchen?"

Denzel laughed lightly, "You can let me do one more thing," He smiled happily.

"Fine, one thing, do it and go, okay?" Cloud said in unhappy mumbled tones.

Before he knew it, Denzel leaned over the front tire of the bike and pressed a kiss against the other's lips. He smiled brightly at the blush that he received, and then he pulled away, hopping to his feet and dusting off his pants.

"Alright, I'm done. See you, Cloud!" He chirped happily before he ran off into the bar.

Cloud just stared, his jaw dropped just like the rag that fell back into the dust forgotten.


	3. Angeal x Cloud

Why did this have to happen this way?

"_The other day, Zack told me something interesting,"_

Cloud's breath hitched at the memories.

"_I just need to know, if it's a rumor or not, Cloud…"_

Angeal's voice had been so calm, even if Cloud's heart-beat was flying faster than a chocobo with it's tail on fire.

"_Zack said that you…have feelings for me,"  
_  
Angeal had chosen his words carefully, but a hard flush still stained Cloud's shapely young features.

"_Angeal, I…uhm…I mean, it's not…I wanted to tell you myself…but I…"_

Angeal interrupted him,

"_It won't work, Cloud…" _The poor blond's hopes were shattered,_ "…I like women…"_

Angeal had walked away and that was the end of the conversation, it had happened just a little over a week ago, and Cloud still couldn't get those words out of his head. Ever since he'd seen Angeal in the training hall, he couldn't get him out of his mind. He didn't realize what he was feeling or what was going on with himself until Zack started teasing him in that big brother way of his.

"_C'mon Cloudy," _He would jest, _"We've all seen the way that Angeal checks you out, give it a shot, why don't ya?"_

The taunting went on and on, until Cloud realized that he really couldn't stand being away from Angeal. It was ironic really, because he'd spent so many time away from him, and now the grunt realized that that was the last thing he'd ever wanted.

But just a few words were still haunting his mind.

'…_**I like women…'**_

Cloud stared down at the dark ocean blue satin that he held in his hands, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way that it glowed in the dull light of his room. With a flick of his wrists, the cloth draped down in front of him at his own eyes' level. It was a dress. Long and flowing, it would fall down just past his knees; it had thin spaghetti straps that criss-crossed behind the neck. A shawl in a slightly lighter shade fell down from the bundle of fabric. This was when he noticed the light blue ribbon that was perched just beneath where a women's bust would fall on the dress, the bottom hem was decorated in a line of tiny white lace and a line of ribbon ran in a thick circle where his waist would cut. Two tendrils of ribbon fell delicately from the back.

The young man swallowed hard as he pulled himself out of his uniform. Slipping the dress over his head, he shuddered when the cool fabric danced over his tired skin. Cloud had never made a habit out of wearing dresses and he never would. This was a one time thing, that was all. He vowed to make it so.

The hair extensions were another one time thing. He pulled them out and clipped them into the bottom of his hair, sighing out as he lightly ran his fingers through them. They were crafted out of human hair that matched his own, and once wound into his own hair, they fell past the crests of his shoulder blades and down to his waist. He pulled two small chunks over his shoulders, he examined the look before he grabbed the shawl and draped it over his shoulders, playing with the sheer fabric before letting go and watching as it settled against him.

Slowly, Cloud dug his way into a small red leather bag. Setting himself in front of a mirror, he narrowed his eyes into that standard SOLDIER glare, but of course, it didn't suit the way that he looked in the dress and the hair extensions. He softened his features, daring to wear a smile. Low and behold, it fit. Carefully, he pulled a few tubes and containers from the bag. First, his lashes were curled and lengthened. Then he delicately applied foundation to his features to hide his flaws, with a finish of sheer powder. Blush was brushed with a tender touch over the crest of each cheekbone, giving that radiant glow of innocence – one that he already had without the blush.

His eyes were then taken care of with a small sheen of eye shadow on each lid. The glistening powder was white, nothing fancy, though glitter made his features stand out even more so.

Lastly, the young man painted his lips in a coat of coat of delectable crimson. It was not harsh enough to make him look like a girl from the honey-bee inn, but it was sharp enough to give contrast to his pale hair and even paler skin.

The offset of it all was quite nice indeed.

But how had Cloud come upon such skills or such items? Connections. It was all about connections, at least when it came to the supplies, as for the skills…he practiced. Hour upon hour each day before bed, he practiced, remembered the order in which his mother would apply similar cosmetics.

He checked himself over one last time for flaws, turning himself on his heels and wearing different expressions before he finally heard it. The door was opening.

Cloud's breath hitched as he made his way to the door, the sound of the heels that he was wearing echoed through the standard room that grunts of his level were issued.

One knock and Cloud was brushing his hair into perfection.

Two knocks and Cloud was smoothing the dress over his knees.

Three knocks and Cloud was turning the doorknob.

Angeal didn't get to knock again, his hand paused mid air when he saw the blond…bombshell in the dim light of the room. Cloud pursed his lips, wanting to scowl; instead, he rolled his eyes and pulled Angeal beyond the door with one hand.

"C…Cloud…what're you -…?"

Angeal didn't get to finish his question, though the question was written all over his face, Cloud had lifted a hand and pressed the side of a finger against Angeal's slack lips.

"Ah ah," He chided, "Me first," He said as he turned the two of them, shutting the door behind them and reaching behind to flick the lock up, "Are you sure…that you don't like guys?" He smirked gently just then, loving the way that Angeal's eyes couldn't seem to get enough of him in that moment.

For one night, just one night, Cloud knew that he had all of Angeal's attention.

All of it.

Undivided.


End file.
